The Fake Concubine
by E.V. Laurie
Summary: Katara is tired of just hating the Fire Nation. So she plans to do something about it. After being undercover for four years, she is exposed and ends up being Zuko's decoy concubine. Now what? Falling in love is the last thing on her mind. ZukoxKatara
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Air bender_

**Prologue: Leaving the Oceans Behind**

**S**he was looking at water as it pushed and pulled against the Fire Nation's boat her brother had taken over some time ago. Its movements gave her the sense of peace and tranquility common of her element. But she knew that it wasn't going to last that long. More sooner than later, she would have to return to Aang, who was laying in a bed still recovering from the lighting shot that Azula had given him. At least he wasn't dead. Thanks to the water from the Oasis she had been able to save him, but at what cost? When he woke up, if he ever did, he wouldn't like what was happening in the world. He had been unconscious and unresponsive for a whole year and it didn't seem like he was going to wake up soon.

It was infuriating and sad. It made her feel guilty for no apparent reason and that cause an undeniable rage to build inside her. It was scorching and blinding like a huge storm in the middle of the ocean. Violent and unforgiving.

Katara had learned how to hate. It was a feeling that consumed her, a sorrow so great that tears didn't come out anymore. But the grief didn't change the sacrifices they had made or the people they had lost. It didn't even come close to the people who were still suffering because of their mistakes. Of her weakness. And she knew she was weak. If it had been otherwise then she would have won at Ba Sing Se instead of running away with the tail between her legs. She, no, the whole conscious group thought that they could be redeemed after making a fool of themselves in the City's Catacombs by continuing with the plan for the day of the Black Sun. Well, the attack had ended up being a disaster. Most of their supporters had been captured and sent to prison while the rest, a group of children, were left to escape. They said they were the future. Ha, she couldn't see a worst future for them than this one.

The Fire Lord was alive and scorching half the world to his amusement. The Earth Kingdom was basically slave country. Well, that was the part that wasn't burned to the ground with smoking cadavers here and there. The Water Tribes weren't that better off either, but Katara wasn't sure because they had been unable to pass the Fire Nation ship barricade that kept the North isolated from the rest of them. The Air Nomads where about to become really extinct if Aang didn't wake up soon so she guessed that Ozai had to be really happy with all the progress he had made during the last twelve month.

It only made her angrier if possible. Their own situation wasn't better off since they couldn't help anyone and they were on all the lands wanted list. If seen once they were to be killed, which was that the reason they were trying to pass off as a Fire Nation ship. They were sailing around the world at the moment, but they never knew if they were going to be found out when an unknown ship passed nearby. During those times everybody worried, but Katara felt she did more than the rest. She felt her friends simply accepted things as they had become, but she couldn't. Her spirit wasn't destroyed yet; instead it burned more vividly than before. It was the rage, the hate, the indignation that made her fight when everybody else had given up, when she was doing nothing to stop the madness that settled among the stolen ship's crew. At first she had tried to keep the spirit alive among the group but noticed that it wasn't working. She knew it for certain when Sokka had told her to shut up in front of everyone. She hadn't tried that again since. But those feelings of naïve hope had been replaced by abhorrence.

However, Katara was too tired of those emotions that where taking their toll on her psyche. She was tired of hating so much Fire Lord Ozai, the bastard that had destroyed the Earth Kingdom and the spirit of the people who wanted to be freed of him; Tired of hating Azula, the crazy bitch that had almost killed the only hope the world had of ever being liberated from her bizarre family; and tired of hating Zuko, the traitor and the complete idiot. How he dared to side with his sister after all she had done to him? And for what? HONOR? She didn't see any honor in what he had done. He had betrayed his uncle, and he had betrayed her.

For a long time since things had taken a turn for the worst, she felt the tears coming to her eyes. The sadness and desperation was overwhelming so she did what she hadn't dared to do since everything had started. She cried. She cried and screamed at the world her sorrow and suffering. She cried for those that couldn't weep anymore and she filled herself with hate, detest and disgust for the Fire Nation and his people. She swore she was going to get her revenge. She was tired of waiting in the side lines and letting time pass without doing anything. She believed she had mourned enough and it was time to act. That night, she decided, she would leave that night to extract her revenge on the unsuspecting Royal Family of the Fire Nation.

She cleared her wet eyes and smiled toward the falling sun. This smile was a sad comparison to those of the previous year but it had to do for now. She hoped that someday that happiness that had been lost in an instant would return to their lives but while she waited for those pleasant times, she would enjoy the deceitfully peaceful sunset. For the time being it was enough. But it wouldn't be always. While now there was an evil man controlling the world, and his patrol ships where all over the seas –the constant dark cloud that could barely be seen in the horizon assured her of that– there would a day that it wouldn't be so. She would make sure to make his triumph as short lived as possible.

Sighing as she planned how to get off the ship, she turned around to head for the cabinet where Aang slept. Before she left he needed another healing section and some of the special food that kept him more or less alive. She would leave the indication to make his food so he wouldn't die of starvation even if he looked like a mummy, at least it would give him the nutrient he needed to survive for a sometime. However, Sokka was looking at her from the other side of the deck. He wasn't smiling or making his silly remarks –it had been months since she heard one of those– as he neared her.

"Are you ok?" She heard him ask. "I thought you were crying?"

"Nah, I'm fine, you were imagining things," she told him with the most amazing smile he had seen in her face in some time and he knew instinctually that it was fake and that she had been crying. There was the familiar shine in her marine eyes that gave it away. However, he let it slip. "I'm going to heal Aang, so see you at dinner, ok."

He did a weird affirmation noise and she left to get ready for her voyage.

* * *

**T**he small room was quiet and mostly dark with a couple of candles in the corners to give the place a little light. The cold iron wall faintly glowed as she closed the door and slowly neared the sleeping boy. He breathed. It was all it could be said about him. If he dreamed or not, if he was conscious or not, was another matter entirely. He was still, or so Katara hoped, alive after all. He had not died yet so that had to count for something. But she was unsure, just like the rest of the world.

Ignoring the sinking feeling she had in the pit of her stomach, she turned Aang around. In his back, the burn mark that marred the blue arrow that covered his body from head to toes and hands was still an angry red and didn't appear to be fading away. As many other times, Katara reached for the container with the liquid from the Spirit Oasis and bended the water out. Making the water wrap around her hand like a glowing fluid glove, she began to heal him.

The process wasn't long but it was straining. Thick drops of sweat fell around her face as she focused to mend him one last time. When she couldn't hold it anymore, she stopped, collected the water in a blob and snaked it back into the bottle. However this time, the water from the Spirit Oasis wasn't going to be place close to Aang but in the hide bag that had accompanied them for a while. With that, some clothe and blankets were pressed together and pushed in. Only food was missing and she had to be careful about that. Right about then, somebody had to be cooking so the kitchen and storage area had to be in use. It was obvious that Katara didn't want to be stopped, so she would have to wait until everybody went to bed to get those.

She put the bag in corner where it wasn't obvious and returned to Aang's side. Moving him back to his previous position, she washed the dirt off of him as a way to say goodbye. One done, it was time to feed him the concoction. It was made of some leaves that General Iroh had used for his teas. Actually, it had been the man's recipe and indication that had kept the Avatar alive during all that time. But, as usual, the problem always came when she had to feed Aang. At first, getting the obnoxious liquid down his throat had been difficult but Katara came up with an idea to make it easy. She only needed to keep his mouth open and she would bend the liquid in instead of out like she had done in Kyoshi Island. With more practice she had perfected the move.

A knock in the door of the cabinet told her that it was time to wrap things up and leave the Avatar to his sleep. It was probably Toph calling her for dinner. However, the knock became persistent and it made Katara wonder who it was and what could it want.

"Who is it?" She called.

"Time to eat," said her brother's voice. It was a surprise since they had kept talk to a minimum after the incident.

"I'm on my way," she said after a small silence as she put the cup on the side table. Standing up and opening the door, she found Sokka still there. "What is it? Is there a problem?"

"No, no, just that I… feel you kind of distant lately," he mumbled.

Making a neutral face, Katara tried not to snap at him too hard but the acidity of her words wasn't disguised at all. "Well, it was obvious that you didn't want me to talk about how everything wasn't a lost cause and that there was still a little hope left, and since I have nothing else to say, I prefer to be quiet and keep away temptation."

"Katara, listen…"

"No, Sokka, no," she said a little desperate. "You listen. Hope is the only thing we have left and right now, we don't even have that. Without it, we are just floating around waiting for a Fire Nation ship to sink us. I don't want that to happen, especially when Aang is not dead yet. If we could find a doctor, a real doctor, maybe we could do more than whine and be depress but until now, all you have done is run away and away. I don't want this kind of life. I want to fight for my freedom. If finding somebody who can wake Aang up is the answer to that, I would happily go there, Fire Nation or no Fire Nation to block my way. But all of you are too afraid," the words were followed by silence. There was no need to deny them. Everything was true. And it hurt. Katara hung her head low but never apologized for her outburst. "I'm just telling you, if things aren't going to change, I will change them. It's my last warning, Sokka, and you might not like how these changes will come. So unless you're planning to surprise everybody in five minutes with an optimistic approach to this hellish situation, don't bother trying to patch things up between us."

Sokka didn't manage to say anything as Katara went pass him toward the dining room. When he appeared at the table, he was just as before. Sitting down without even brothering to look at anyone else, he took the bowl and ate his veggie soup absentmindedly.

"I thought so," murmured Katara for just her brother to hear.

He sighed but didn't offer any explanation.

* * *

**T**he crescent moon hung over the night sky, playing with the sea levels and watching over lovers from miles and miles away. She was sad and lonely, but didn't let anybody know and continued to come out almost every night, shyly showing her figure among the passing clouds. Yue was the moon spirit who watched over the seas of the world. She missed her lover terribly, but what hurt more was to see him so hopeless and lost under her light. His sleeping figure frowned, probably from another unhappy dream but mainly from a sad reality. Yue knew about all his worries but the one taking most of his mind at the time was Katara. The young water bender was hardheaded but it really was an admirable trait in situations like that one. She made the people around her see the light. However, Yue had a bad feeling after hearing the conversation with Sokka so she stayed near the boat instead of going somewhere else.

The Moon wasn't made to wait long as Katara came out of Aang's room with the shoulder bag and silently headed for the kitchen. Hoping to stop the door from making any noise, she opened it slowly which only made the chirring sound louder than it was. Making sure nobody was awake; she went toward the storage space and began to fill her bag with food. Sharing the amount equally between those who were staying and her hasty travel, she sealed the bag and left the kitchen.

Going toward the bow, she silently released the anchor and descended through the iron chain into the sea. Freezing the water under her, she stepped on it and quietly began to slowly bend away from the boat. Her direction was west toward the volcanic islands of the Fire Nation while she planned what she was to do once she put foot in enemy territory. Although she was dressed in a red and gold halter top with an equally red and gold skirt, it didn't change the fact that the path was long and hazardous. It could take her days to get there and there was a chance she would tired very soon so she was making some kind schedule. During the day she could travel under water as long as possible. Once there was no air she would surface and rest for a while. If it was lunch time, eat, if not just drink water before submerging again. This would ensure that no ship would see her, or at least minimize the chances of being caught. During the night, she would create the block of ice to travel which allowed her some rest and probably sleep. With that in mind, she doubled the effort to cover more water when there was less chance of a boat passing by and seeing her water bend. It would be suspicious enough to be in a block of ice in a place where the heat didn't allow icebergs even during winter; if they actually caught her in the act she was as good as dead.

If she actually made it to land, Fire Nation land, she would have to find a way to infiltrate into the castle. She guessed that it would harder than anything with so many guards and the sheer size of it. But she hoped to have several tricks under her sleeves by the time she reached the main island. Knowledge was strength, but it wasn't the only strength she would need. Besides, if she did managed to kill one member of the Royal Family, it would twice more difficult to kill a second and probably impossible to kill a third one. She just hoped that if she did managed to eliminate one that she would either be able to escape, stay and accomplish more, or weaken them so somebody else with enough guts could finish the job for her.

Katara was stupid. She knew what she was getting into and leaving the Fire Nation's Capital unharmed was a nothing more than a dream.

* * *

**S**uddenly coming awake, Sokka looked around him in panic and confusion. Something was wrong. Thinking that it might be an intruder, he slowly came of his bed and picked up his boomerang. Opening his cabin's door a bit, he looked through the small opening to see if there was somebody outside. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The hallway was dark and the quiet snore of the other members could be heard softly over the crash of the waves against the ship. Taking this as a sign that nobody was there yet, he tiptoed toward the door that headed to the deck. Not really sure of what he would find when he arrived there; he cautiously opened the Iron Gate to look around. Once more, the place seemed normal and calm. He noticed that was almost dawn as the wind blew over the deck with the usual strength of that time of year messing his untied hair. Not giving completely up, he decided to check outside first before heading back and checking on the others. He thought that if somebody foolish enough had boarded their ship, he would find resistance pretty soon, especially with Toph onboard.

Giving a round around the deck and even checking the sides to be safe, the only oddity he found was the lowered anchor. Not really suspecting it of any treachery –although it was unusual for it to be lowered, if they needed to flee, hailing it up would take some precious seconds that could be the difference between life and death– he decided that it was time to check on everyone.

Once inside, he checked the rooms to see if everyone was ok. Most of them were knocked out cold, most likely just tired from working all day to stay away from any danger and maintaining the ship. He could say the same for himself, but there was just something in the air that warned him to check on every one. Following his instinct, he opened Toph door's and found her sitting up looking toward him with pale green eyes.

"What's going on?" She asked him.

"Nothing, go back to sleep," he said. There was no need to worry her when it was obvious nothing was wrong.

"She left you know," Toph informed him, her unseeing eyes no longer looking at him but at her hands.

"What?" He asked. Sokka was uncertain to whom she was referring but at the same time, dread began to cloud his mind.

"There was nothing I could have done to stop her," those were the only words closest to an apology he was going to receive from the small earth bender. "She was decided and determined and you know when Sugar Queen gets stubborn nobody changes her minds."

Grasping the meaning of the conversation, he felt anger toward Toph. It was a blinding feeling that guided him as he entered the room with previously unseen speed. Holding the small girl by her clothes, he brought her face to his.

"She's my little sister and is my duty to protect her. You should have told me right away when you felt her wandering around at night," he screamed.

"What are you doing! Let me go!" Begged Toph scared of the warrior's reaction.

"You could have stopped her," he hollered as her eyes moved rapidly looking around for a way to free herself while several tears began to fall.

"Hey, let her go," ordered Haru who stood at the opened door. The screaming had awoken him and, thinking it was an attack, he ran toward the commotion. After having joined the group to attack the Fire Nation Capital during the day of the Black Sun, he had stayed with them as support in case some unexpected situation happened.

"What's going on here?" Asked Smeller Bean followed by Long Shot seconds after.

"Why would you do such a thing?" Yelled Sokka again as he shook Toph with more strength than was really needed.

"Come," called Haru, "help me get him off her."

Smeller Bean and Long Shot moved fast to help the earth bender while Haru pulled Sokka off with more force than he had thought he needed. This one, on the other hand, fought to try and reach Toph. Her shaking form and thick tears made a pitiful image of somebody close to being broken.

"It was the least I could," she told him, her voice a murmur. Toph had had a hard time accepting that her parents might be no more and being unable to return to the Earth Kingdom, there was no way to know if they still lived or not. That had been a tougher blow than she would have thought or even admitted to, but it was the reason she had lost her hope. Together with Aang out of commission, the blind earth bender really didn't see why the sun came out each morning. Katara, on the other hand, had still tried. She was the only person on the whole ship who had tried to cheer them and convinced them that everything was not lost. She was the only thing that had kept her going. Katara was her hope. But then, Sokka had opened his big mouth and screwed everything up. Telling his sister that there was nothing they could do to stop the Fire Lord and that her cheerfulness –or attempt at it– was only making things worse, the water bender stopped talking to the rest of them altogether. It was a wonder she had even stayed that long but she had. It was her way of giving them a chance to redeem themselves. However, they hadn't taken that chance and the only way for her to not lose herself was by leaving her depressing companions. Toph understood that and, because it was the only thing that kept the water bender moving forward, she hadn't had the courage to take it away by alerting her warrior brother of the plan.

Sokka stilled when he heard Toph words. She meant it, he knew from that look in her eyes, one that wasn't supposed to be there. But he couldn't help but worry for the safety of Katara. He had always protected her. At least, before, he had. And even if she could defend herself quite well, he still wished he could be with her during her journey. It was the only way he could be sure she was alive and well. He wasn't giving up just yet. There had to be a way to track her down and find her before she reached her destination.

"Where was she headed?" He asked Toph.

"I don't know, but if I had to guess I would say west," revealed the girl.

"West? Toward the Fire Nation? We have to stop her!" He exclaim.

"That wouldn't be possible. She left around midnight and it's been almost five hours since then. There is no way of knowing where she could be at this time," Toph told him.

"I'm not giving up," said Sokka, now free from Haru's hold and walking around the room like a mad man, passing his hand over his eyes and pressing his seines to ease the migraine that had develop in the last 10 minutes. "Get ready," he ordered finally deciding what to do. "We're heading west."

"No, we are not." Haru interceded.

"What do you mean?" The warning wasn't missed as Sokka's eyes narrowed and his voice came out low.

"I understand Katara is important to you, to all of us, but following her would be suicidal. We have something important to protect and we can't have the luxury of being sunk into the sea because of a wild goose chase," spoke the older earth bender. "I know how you feel Sokka, but she has to do this and I trust her to come back to us alive. Give her this opportunity."

A long silent followed. Tense minutes passed the group. Haru and Sokka had a staring contest before a sight escaped the water tribe warrior and a barely perceptible nod confirmed Haru's decision.

"We'll do it your way," acceded Sokka. "For now..." he added afterwards and walked out.

* * *

**A/N**

Finally, I re-made the prologue. It's longer and more detailed with more than just Katara planning to leave. I like this version a lot better, although I have to admit that the last part was the hardest one to write. I didn't really know how Sokka would react to Katara leaving so that was what came out. Hope it looked good.

_Seleni Argyrios_


	2. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender_

**Chapter 1: In the Fire Palace**

**A**s a shadow, she silently slipped through the palace's hallways. She moved fast and careful, stopping to listen in when a sound reached her and warily blending in the dark corners when someone appeared. It was her luck that the walls were a dark red with torches illuminating her way, but even then, she didn't stand out as one would think. Few people walked around that part of the palace and the guards didn't move from their place unless there was a disturbance. Thankfully, she had mastered more than just her bending during the four years she had been in the Fire Nation.

Like a master thief, she looked around making sure that no one was there to see as she pulled a torch and the wall opened to show a hidden passage. Slipping in, she waited for the secret door to close before moving to her right and, after making a few turns, stopping in the darkness. To anyone else, that part of the passage had nothing of importance, but to her, it was the source of her information. While the wall looked normal and dark, if she brushed her hand right in front of her, a little bump could be felt. That bump was a switch to the private office of the Fire Prince.

It was by pure chance that she discovered the net of tunnels and passageways around the palace and she had to thank the servants for that. It had been after she began working as the kitchen cleaning/garbage disposing lady. A couple of maids were gossiping about the prince and his new concubine when the conversation steered toward more unusual topics. Among them, a rumor about secret doors left behind by a long forgotten paranoid Fire Lord. Katara grasped the possibility when she had a chance and began to look more closely at the walls as she passed them. It had taken her sometime to discover one of the entrances but when she did, she was set for life. The complex series of tunnels lead everywhere in the palace and she had taken her time to learn every nick and crane about them. Discovering that the passages had been unused for several years was but a plus.

Taking total advantage of the situation, she began to listen to important discussions regarding army movements and future plans. She had even found out about a group of fire nation rebels and proceeded to help them with what she could. Until that day, Katara hadn't had any kind of problem with her stay in the Fire Nation. They treated her like trash and barely talked to her but she didn't complain. Besides, she was undercover and her appearance didn't exactly attract much attention. Or maybe because it did, things had worked out fine; although she wasn't particularly fond of her disguise. As Kya, her face was always dirty, her hair tangled and her nails bitten and greasy. Her dark clothes were ripped and grime hung from every piece. They covered most of her body and she walked like an old crippled lady whose age, if guessed, would be prehistoric. In the streets, and even the castle itself, most of the servants stayed away from her. It could be because of the stink of the unwashed cloth. But she guessed her appearance helped a lot. Point was that, for somebody like Kya who attracted attention wherever she went, it was difficult to just go wandering around the castle, at least in that getup.

However, albeit grudgingly, Katara had to be thankful for the dirty, smelly clothes. She was well aware of the Fire Lord's need to take to his bed anything that looked remotely feminine or beautiful. So as precaution, she had disguised herself as anything but beautiful. She was a woman, and she wasn't willing to change that, but at least this way she was safe from the lecherous man.

Even then, there was Azula who tormented her if she stumbled by accident into her highness's presence. And Zuko. She could never forget Zuko. He didn't have to treat her like crap to feel like it in his presence. He had changed. He wasn't psychotic like his sister or evil like his father. He was Zuko. Proud, strong, arrogant Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. Heir to the throne and still undermined and hated by his own people. It didn't matter what he did, he wasn't trusted. But, as always, he didn't give up. He tried harder until he achieved his goal. It didn't seem like he cared about his family like years before. When prior to his return to the palace everything had been about regaining his honor, now was to become Fire Lord. What was his motive behind this drive, not even she knew. But it was quite clear that he didn't want Azula to succeed his father.

She had learned that Zuko's position as heir had been planned to be temporary by Azula. She had known that the Avatar was alive almost as soon as they had left Ba Sing Se. It was the reason she claimed that Zuko had given the final blow and killed Aang. The princess had been certain that their group would pop up any day and cause some commotion that would give them away. And they had. But without Aang. Thanks to that, Zuko was still heir. Katara didn't have a clue as for how long. It had taken Azula several years to finally get to the stage where the Prince might have to abdicate the position and pass it onto her. It was all, of course, with her father's help that she was doing it. Ozai didn't want Zuko to rule after him either so, after becoming the Phoenix King, he had also kept his position as Fire Lord and gave his daughter an opportunity to make a comeback. He had enforced a century's old rule for the benefit of Azula. One that said that Zuko needed to have a possible heir born before his 22nd birthday and that was one year from now.

The Prince had tried hard. First, he had talked to Mai but the little bitch refused. The knife thrower was friends with Azula and was probably following her orders so Katara wasn't surprised when she heard the story. Second, he had begun to pile concubines as one would stack boxes. She had heard that at one time, he might have had like fifty. Exaggerations, she guessed. But the fact was, that little Zuzu didn't have the best of lucks. As each woman was said to have conceived, they were dropping like flies. Accident after freak accident took their lives away. Katara wasn't stupid and falling from the balcony or on a knife wasn't what she called coincidence. Somebody was making sure that the prince didn't get an heir and the finger only pointed one way. To Azula.

The situation was dreary as of now. Two weeks ago, one of his remaining concubines had been killed and she had been three months pregnant. At this point, it wasn't simply to replace the dead woman for another one –not that many wanted to go to their death by bearing the prince's child– but the months it would take for the baby to be born. Time was running out, and Katara was sure that Zuko was feeling every minute of it. But knowing him so well, he wasn't about to give up, not without a good fight. That was the reason she was there that night. She had heard that he was going to talk with someone about the situation and she saw it as an opportunity to seen into his way of thinking. It was hard for her to admit that this new Zuko didn't share as much as the previous one did. If she had to guess, he had all his rage bottled up inside waiting to be bent out. Oh, he still had his fiery temper that came out when he least wanted it to, but somehow he thought things through and tried to relax with jasmine tea.

As if on cue, Zuko entered his chambers followed by another set of steps. Katara leaned further into the wall to listen better but even then, all she could hear was the faint sound of whispered voices. She silently thought that it was strange. The other two times she had been in that same spot, he had spoken loud and strong, making sure that even the people on the other side of the thick wall could hear him. Now she was beginning to wonder if it had been on purpose, but if so, that meant he had wanted to divert the attention of whoever might have been listening to other matters. Had she been fooled before and now she was noticing? She didn't think so. It was clear to her that the important people always thought themselves save in their own houses never suspecting his own servants of treachery until one was caught red handed or someone else might point it out to them. It wasn't that they were stupid, more like overconfident. Zuko didn't strike her the kind of person who would make that mistake which made her seriously wonder if he had used the spies within his walls to spread some convenient information that would tip the balance to his favor. Katara was certain that the prince wasn't above such tactics. Actually, it suited him a lot. But it angered her to be used as a gossip spreader when she was vying for the facts not his lies.

Getting too angry with her own line of thought, she punched the wall without thinking. She had wasted a night to only hear his murmurs. That was not information. That was totally futile. She had been used and she was fine with it. Now she needed to find a way to listen to his real conversations, the ones that really mattered to him, not the ones that were ok for an outsider to listen to. Also wanting to kick the frigging wall, she contained. It wasn't good if she was found.

"Did you hear that?" It was Zuko's voice. He couldn't have heard that little punch, could he?

"Heard what?" The other person asked. Katara felt like she knew the voice from somewhere but couldn't place it.

"A noise," the fire prince carefully moved in his office. If he had heard something it was because someone was there. However, it was hard to say where. The noise had sounded hollow and maybe even echoed before he noticed it so it was difficult to say from where it came from. Moving carefully around his office, he tried to think of places where someone might be listening in. He was finding that hard to figure out, since he tended to check his office before sitting down to discuss important matters. In this case, he wasn't willing to risk failure so early on. It was important for his plan to succeed this time around before it was too late for him to gain the throne. Permanently.

Katara hadn't expected to be heard so, not wanting to risk it, she silently walked in the darkness toward an exit. Listening in and not hearing anything, she pushed a button and a door opened to let her out. Taking a deep breath after coming out from the claustrophobic tunnel, she was surprised to find a guard posted right next to the secret door looking at her with wide eyes.

The shout of the alarm sounded seconds after she ran and lost herself in one of the many halls of the Fire palace. She was lucky to have been in the Prince's section. She knew he would keep the scandal to the minimum but she just had jeopardized her safety and her mission. That was not mentioning she had lost her only advantage over the Royal Family. The only option was to stay, continue to be Kya and gather information the hard way. Besides, the gossip mill that was the palace servants dropped good hints and half truth once in awhile. Some of them were worthy of notice.

* * *

**F**ollowed by his guards, Zuko marched to the kitchen and announced a revision of the personnel identities and belongings. He wasn't about to let anyone listen in his conversations and spread the word so easily so he had taken precautionary measures to keep the spy immobile for a while. It was obvious that he had to be present during the whole process and next to him, the guard who had sighted the outsider. By the description, they should be concentrating in the female population but he also checked males to keep the rumors neutralize. Another clue was the ocean blue eyes of the assailant as described by the guard.

He knew that women from every nation worked in the kitchens, so blue and green eyes weren't that unusual. However, his guard didn't seem to make up his mind and tell him which of the wenches was to blame for that morning's incident. Hours later, they hadn't found the culprit and Zuko wondered if he should be trusting his guard's judgment so easily.

"Have you found her yet?" He asked for the third time in that hour. It wasn't much but his patience sure was suffering it.

"No," answered the guard. "It's just those eyes. They were raging, so angry and hateful, so alive that for a moment I was lost in them," shaking his head in denial, he waved his hand around pointing to all the girls. "Any of them could be her if it wasn't for the eyes."

"Yes, of course, the eyes," repeated Zuko a little too tired after listening to the same thing for the fifth hour.

"We are almost done here, sir," reported another soldier.

"Who is missing?" He demanded.

"An old lady in charge of cleaning the kitchen and taking out the garbage. The servants say she's so old that it's a miracle that she can keep up with the demand," said the man.

"What color are her eyes?" Zuko asked.

"Her eyes?" The soldier wondered.

"Yes."

"I wouldn't know," was the hesitant answer.

"Then find out," barked the prince reaching the last of his patience. He had wasted a whole day and had had no luck finding the culprit. He needed to find her. If the spy had heard something and the information made it to Azula he was positively screw. Until then, he had managed to somehow keep it secret but it seemed luck had never been on his side from the day he was born. As his father had told him once, Azula had been born lucky and he was lucky to be born.

Zuko was shaken out of his pessimistic musings when two guards brought to his presence an old lady. The woman seemed almost crippled with age and could barely walk but she seemed a feisty wrinkled thing. He was certainly amused as she berated the soldiers for treating her like she was sack of potatoes. She was a lady, she said, and should be treated as such. It was entertaining to say the least until he saw her eyes. They were the blues he had even seen, like the deepest parts of the ocean he had once traveled in search of the avatar. They were vibrant and full of life, passionate in their crystallized beauty. There was hate, he noticed, anger, loathing and a tad of worry. The soldier had been right. Those eyes were hard to forget for their intensity.

"Follow me," he ordered the guards. The men looked at each other in wonder and did as they were ordered bringing the screeching old hag with them.

The prince's steps were determined as he headed for his private office thinking of what to do with the spy. He was certain that the old lady was the so despised informant. Nobody of the woman's age could have eyes so lively after years of suffering. And Zuko was sure that with the war, she must have suffered. Her attired said a lot of her suffering because he couldn't fathom anyone being happy when there was no food to eat, no place to sleep and nowhere to bath.

After walking through several halls, they came to stop in front of a door. Zuko opened it in a hurry and signaled for the guards to come in. Sitting right away in the corner of his desk, he looked again at the woman, or more like the black mass of dirty clothes. He studied her for some second before waving his guards away. They hesitated before obeying.

"Who are you?" He asked the woman out of the blue. Her voice croaked a reply that he didn't quite get but it didn't deter him in the least. "Why were you spying on me?"

"I don't know what you speak of, Prince." Her voice came out loud and clear, but there was something in her voice that alerted him to be wary. If the woman was truly the spy he was looking for, then he might probably be in danger.

"I'm sure you know." She didn't react to his accusation. In fact she was rather calm and collected. She wasn't acting like an old lady at all. She wasn't acting like a servant or even a member of the Fire Nation. People feared him and his family. When you were called by one of them, most people would be shaking and unable to speak from the fear. But this woman was looking him right in the eye. No fear etched in her face and no signs of backing out from the challenge she ensued.

Zuko stood up and walked toward a shelf full of documents to the left of his desk waiting for her to say something. However, silent accompanied him as he stopped and stretched a hand to pick a document up. Twirling around fast, he released a fire ball at the woman who moved out of the way in time to avoid being burned. Her eyes were wide for a second before narrowing in realization of what the prince had made her do. Standing straight in a defense stance that he knew too well, he also prepared himself for the coming duel.

Jumping out of the way as a water whip appeared out of thin air and headed for his torso, Zuko sent a pair of fire bullets toward his assailant. His attacker's clothes caught fire; however, the woman didn't seem to notice. Seconds later, the fire extinguished itself, making him think that maybe, the bulgy clothes were more than they seemed. They were big on the woman and several things could be hidden underneath it like a water pouch, or even a weapon. It was obvious that he had to do something about it, and he accidentally did when the woman came too close to him and he pulled some of the cloth off. Smooth brown skin was exposed and his eyes diverted toward it momentarily. She was young. Way younger than what she wanted to appear. Maybe, if he played his cards right, he could make some used of the woman.

More blows were exchanged between both of them, but it was obvious that, even if there was water vapor in the atmosphere, there was a limited amount at her disposal in his office. Besides, it was still day time and night was a couple of hours away. He had plenty of time to subdue the water bender. Determined to hold out for the rest of the afternoon if possible, he let out a stream of fire the knocked the woman into the wall with enough force to put her to sleep.

* * *

**H**er head was pounding when she came to herself. As she slowly opened her eyes, she noticed the restrains placed in her body. Her wrists were tied behind the back of the chair she was sitting on. Her stinky clothes were gone and only her undergarments were left. She was still in Zuko's office and he was looking at her very attentively, almost as if expecting her to jump out of the chair and attack him. Katara had to admit that it wasn't such a bad idea but freeing herself from the binds would take her some long minutes. That was if nobody stopped from doing it. Besides, it seemed stupid to try act unconscious when her captor knew she was awake. She had a better chance of distracting him with conversation than anything else.

"Who are you working for?" Zuko didn't want to waste anymore time. There was something familiar about this young woman, and that something was telling him to be careful of her bending when the moon was high in the sky. There was a possibility that this girl was just some unknown water bender from one of the poles, but there was something about her eyes, her skin and the way she carried herself that made him wonder if he had seen her before. However, it was almost impossible for him to remember some unknown water bender that had gotten in his way once. Still, there was one that had done it constantly. Katara, companion of the Avatar, fought against him several times. Although he really didn't think that she would venture into unknown land alone, she was a beautiful stubborn thing. If she thought that she should try to kill his family by herself, then she would simply do it.

Inspecting the young woman closer, he began to notice more similarities between that teen Katara and this female. Still, he didn't really want to jump to conclusions. Yet, how was he to get any information if he didn't prove a bit?

"Where are your companions?" The question was different and it got her attention. Had he figured her out? "Is the Avatar still alive?" As before, she didn't answer. But, then again, she didn't have to when her eyes just narrowed and the loath in them almost made him shiver. "I see."

'_At least she wasn't helping Azula,'_ the prince thought. _'Azula,'_ he repeated in his mind before an idea came to mind. _'Maybe she could help.' _Once more, his amber eyes were focused on her as if evaluating the scheme before implementing it. "I have a proposition for you."

Katara looked at him cautiously. He was a citizen of the Fire Nation as he had proven before, what made him think that she would help him? However, he could have her in his private prison and torture the information out of her as he pleased and he wasn't doing that. Maybe she should listen to him and, maybe, even help him until she had a chance to extract her revenge and/or escape. She gave a soft nod but she was still wary of him. Seizing this chance, he immediately exposed him plan.

"You see, Katara..."

"Kya," she corrected him.

"Right, Kya. Either way, as you may have heard, one of my concubines was killed some days ago," he stopped a minute to think what else he could reveal without exposing something of which he would later repent. "Since you were spying on me, I'm going to guess you're aware of the why and who. The problem is that she wasn't the only want who got pregnant at the time. There was another one who I've managed to keep hidden until now. I just don't know how long I might be able to keep it that way. So, this is where you come in," once again he paused to gauge her reaction. Nothing was revealed in her face. "If you act as my new concubine and we say that you are 'pregnant' sometime afterwards, the attacks will be centered on you sparing my concubine the stress and keeping her safe until she is ready to deliver. You can defend yourself well enough so you might manage to stay alive until I have my heir. Once that has been achieved, you'll be free to go."

"How do I know you'll keep your word?" She asked after a few minutes of contemplation.

"You don't," he told her. "You'll have to trust me. Besides, I think this option is better than spending some time in prison and I can assure you, it's not a nice place to be at for someone like you," he didn't elaborate any further and that statement could be interpreted in several different ways. But bottom line was that he was right.

"Why do you want to be Fire Lord so badly?" She just had to ask. She had been wondering that for some time now and hadn't been able to come up with a viable answer.

"I don't think it concerns you." Zuko hadn't expected to be asked that and preferred to keep the answer to himself. Besides, he really didn't think that she would believe him if he told her that he had noticed how truly screw his family was and that he was trying to somehow fix it if he made it to the throne. He wasn't sure he had in him to kill his father, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Especially when the Avatar was no more.

"Fine. Then what I'm supposed to do as your 'concubine'?" She had a feeling she wasn't going to like it.

"Since you'll be new, you'll sleep with me for at least a whole month," he stated.

"What?" The scream resonated in his office as a blush tried to make its way into her face.

"Calm down, we'll just sleep in the same bed. Nothing will happen. We'll just make it seem like it did," he decided to placate her. He knew of her temperament, it would be better for him if she was at least reasonable with the whole set up. "Also, I want you to wear makeup and anything else that'll help disguise you from my sister. Azula has seen you before and she might recognize you, and we really, really should avoid that."

"Anything else?"

"You might have to participate in some functions so I would prefer if you were polite," he added as an afterthought. It wasn't that important but it might come to serve its purpose eventually.

Katara was silent for a moment contemplating her option. Concubine or Prison. Concubine and a chance to eliminate the royal family or prison and being abused by Fire Nation bullies. There was no much to think about really. Besides, it might even help her in the long run. She knew Zuko wasn't the most brilliant coin in the purse but, in the purse known as the Fire Nation, he was certainly one of the most valuable. And she preferred Zuko to Azula any day of the week.

Coming to a decision, she nodded once again. "I accept your proposition, Prince Zuko."

* * *

**A/N**

Finally, the first chapter is out and about. I have done some changes, mainly the title and summary. Also the story line but since I hadn't written anything yet, I didn't have to rewrite much. Well, I can assure you that this wasn't the first plot line I had thought up but I like it a lot more than the previous one.

_Seleni Argyrios_


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